2 January 2022
Wake up. Kill some time before walking to the train station. Our man is Danny. The van has arrived. No, he cannot help us put the seats down. She is a Peugeot. She is magnificent. Manual. Outstanding. One more complication.
We get the seats down. Bikes will fit. I only stall 10 – 12 times on the way to the hotel. Definitely less than 15. Probably more than 10.
We load the bikes up and hit the road. Vigo. Or thereabouts. We coast out of Bilbao with only two wrong turns. A8 is our artery for the majority. 120 km/h. Two hours in I discover a sixth gear. Sports van.
Lunch. Cabezón de la Sal. El Cafe. Shell waited by the gate while I went in to check on a table. I walk in. An umbrella flies across the room. Smashes into the wall. It came from the kitchen. A woman comes after. Agitated. She gets something from a nearby cupboard. Slams the door so hard it breaks. Starts walking out. A man comes down the stairs. She points at him. Screams something. Walks out. He watches her leave. Picks up the umbrella. Looks at me. Takes us to a table. I am definitely eating here.
The service is great. The food amazing. Menu del dia. Calamares. Patatas. Costillas de res. Great vino. I really don’t want to get back on the fun bus.
“The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.” ― Aldous Huxley
We head off. Incorrect direction on a roundabout. Are there drink driving rules in a country where beer is for breakfast? Shell googles. Apparently yes. We drive on.
Arrive at Caldas de Reis. The GPS takes us to a dead end. I suddenly decide as driver, Shell is responsible for the map work. I stop the car and demand she comes up with a plan. I actually stalled. Moving on. Tension. Shell finds A Casa do Latoneiro. A complicated situation. The reception is one place. We are staying in another. Parking in another. It is late. I am tired. It works out fine. The guy was friendly.
Shower. Read. Bed.
Fun bus. Train. Ride. Tomorrow has the trifecta. Maybe Portugal.
Loving the authentic stops along the way, as well as the stalls. This is adventure plus.